Hidden Roses
by Laenavesse
Summary: After THREE YEARS! Chp 7 is up and this NadilxCesiaxRath love triangle fic finally continues! OOC warning Nadil is good, Rath is evil, that kinna says it all xD Read and enjoy, and break from the normal pairings :D
1. Rejection Again?

Hidden Roses

Chapter 1 – Rejection (Again??)

Yeah, I now have **three** fics going that I'm currently working on. Oh well, with summer and all, I'll have time for all **six** fics (three original, three fanfics) I'm currently working on, and probably also returning to he remainder two DK fanfics that I've been oh so lazy on working and making my readers angry xD Gomen gomen ;

Anyway, the pairing is slightly awkward and some characters **will be** OOC. So if you don't like that, tough it P Family system: weird, but workable (I guess…) Pretty much almost all of the characters have their powers…Ah, you'll have to read to find out the rest of the stuff.

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own any of the DK charas, but original characters are mine. **

* * *

"Cesia-chan! Wake up already!!"

The girl moaned as she clutched the pillow closer to her face. "Iun wanna…" she mumbled in reply as she tried to block the muffled noises from outside.

"Onee-chan!!" another cried from behind the door. "You'll be late for work!!"

At this Cesia jolted out of her bed. "WHAT?!?! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?!"

Dealte sighed from the other side as the loud thrashings of Cesia falling out of her bed and rampaging around her room could be heard. "We only tried to wake her up for the past half hour…"

Kitchel chuckled as she ruffled Zoma's hair. "Well if it wasn't for little Zoma here she might not have woken up at all!"

The boy's face reddened for a moment before he yelled, "I just don't want Cesia to lose another job!"

The door burst open as Cesia flew out of her room and leaped down the stairs, still putting on her light sweater as she grabbed a piece of toast. "Itekimas!!"

"Iterashai!!" they yelled back. A small scream of surprise and the sound of something crashing were heard shortly after.

"MY GARDENIAS!!" Dealte wailed.

"Who wants to bet that in five minutes or less she'll crash into someone next?" Kitchel smirked.

A large sweatbead appeared on Zoma's face as he sighed. "Cesia onee-chan…"

"I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late…" Cesia kept repeating as she zipped down the cobblestone streets, dodging people frantically as she made her way to her part-time job at the local café and giving quick waves to anyone who greeted her. As she skidded around the corner, she glanced up at the clock tower rising to her right. She had five minutes.

"OUT OF MY WAAAAY!!" she yelled as she found her second wind and barged through the crowds slowly gathering on the streets. Luckily, everyone heard her and quickly stepped out of her path, chuckling in the process as she zoomed past.

"That Cesia," one laughed. "I wonder if she knows…?"

"From what I can see, I don't think so," another said and sighed. "Well, she'll find out when she gets there."

"If she knew, she would still be in bed," the first laughed again.

"He's been only trying, what, three times now?"

"You do have to feel sorry for the poor guy. But…rejecting the prince!"

A third nodded solemnly. "If she hadn't been his childhood friend, I wonder what would have happened?"

The first smiled. "Nothing, of course. Lord Lykouleon would not have done anything at all."

"And Lady Raseleane wouldn't have permitted it, either," the second added.

The three turned and watched the girl disappear around another corner. They were dressed in official garments, the ropes of royalty slung down from their shoulders. One was yellow, one blue, and the other black. Many of the citizens of the city tried not to stare at them, though it was hard not to. They rarely came out to interact with the people.

Kai-stern grinned at his two comrades. "Shall we watch?"

"Do you think Alfeegi would mind if we strayed from our work?" Tetheus asked skeptically.

Ruwalk slung his arms around both of their shoulders and gave them a sly grin. "Not if he doesn't find out!"

Tetheus sighed. "What am I doing…?"

"Having fun!" Ruwalk laughed as he dragged the Black Dragon Officer behind him and Kai-stern.

One minute. Cesia had one minute left and the café was just within a few feet from her. _I…I WON'T BE LATE!!_ she thought gleefully as she slowed her pace slightly and closed her eyes as she tried to regain her breath. She reopened them just in time to find herself on a collision course with someone standing directly in her path with his back turned to her.

"Ah…ABUNAI!!" she screamed as she tried to apply her brakes.

When the person turned slightly, she felt her face redden slightly before bracing herself for the impact. Instead, she felt strong yet gentle hands around her shoulders as they somehow stopped her pace and steadied her gasping body.

"Are you alright?"

Cesia turned her face upward and held back a gasp as she just stared at the concerned face looking down at her. The man had the deepest red eyes she had ever seen, the long strands of dark purple hair trailing over his shoulder standing out from the black clothing he was wearing. His clothes seemed casual yet…formal? Whatever she was classifying the clothing she did not give it a second thought. Instead the girl found herself just staring up at the stranger that still held her.

He blinked and turned his head slightly to the side. "Is…something on my face?"

The question snapped Cesia out of her reverie and she quickly pulled away. "N-No!! I was just, er, thinking!" she half lied. True, she was thinking, but not about anything not related to the stranger before him. When she looked at the person again, she noticed his pointed ears and blinked. "Wait…are you a –"

"Cesia-san!" a voice cried out to her and the sound of running feet reached her ears.

She looked past the mystery person and her eyes widened. "RATH?!?!"

The red-dyed haired young man broke into a grin as he reached her. "I've been waiting for you."

"No."

The sudden response made Rath falter. "Wh-what??"

A smile flitted across the stranger's lips as he gave them both a quick bow and retreated. "I'll let you two alone," he said as he walked off. "Take care, young miss."

"Eh?" Cesia looked quickly at the retreating back before she felt Rath's firm hand on her arm, making her turn to face him.

"Cesia, why won't you marry me?" Rath asked almost desperately. Confusion and agony filled his bright crimson eyes as he stared into her golden ones.

She stared at him for a moment and sighed. It had hurt her to reject him the first time, but now his insistency was getting somewhat bothersome. "I'm sorry Rath," she said softly as she pulled away from him and rubbed her arm. The grip had been stronger than previous ones. "I…I'm just not ready for that yet."

"But I love you, Cesia! I can't stand being behind those walls knowing you are here!" he exclaimed. "…Do you not love me?"

Cesia placed a gentle hand on his cheek and give him a sad smile. "Rath, you know I love you, but just not the same way you love me." She glanced at her manager watching from the doorway. "I have to work now. You don't want me to lose another job, do you?"

Rath watched silently as she walked past him and inside the café. Three times. Rejected three times. _Did she…forget?_ With slumped shoulders and a last glance into the café, the prince of the Dragons slowly made his way back to the castle, a plan already forming in his mind. Some way or the other, Cesia will become his bride.

* * *

Told you there would be OOC-ness. So whaddya think? XD Rather fast paced, eh? Short chapter (not even a complete three pages! What am I doing?!) Well to be honest, I'm stuck here in school for like 7 hours because I don't have to take any exams except for one, and that was first period. So…yeah. I'm here. Writing. A new fic at that xD

::sharp objects are thrown at her::

Readers: WHAT ABOUT YOUR OTHER FICS?!?!?

X.x;;;; They're at home T.T

Readers: o.o Oh. ::take back everything::

…readers…never make them mad…x.x;; Oh, and if you don't like how I make the characters…**TOUGH IT XP**

This edit thing is weird...and I can't do my actions the normal way anymore!! With the asterisk!!!


	2. Things You can learn at the Café

Hidden Roses

Chapter 2 – Things You can learn at the Caf

Wow, you're still here =D Either you're crazy, curious, or bored. Enjoy! XP

By the way, did I ever tell y'all that I'm a sucker for romances? XD I will once again warn you of **out of character** characters and that this fic **will be** predominantly a NadilxCesia fic. And they'll be many appearances by the main and major minor members of the cast throughout the fic. Just read and learn, read and learn )

* * *

"Well, he's still determined," Ruwalk commented as the three Dragon Officers watched Rath walk past them.

"One track mind, that one," Kai-stern nodded. "He didn't even notice us."

"…I worry about that."

"Huh?" Ruwalk and Kai-stern turned to Tetheus, his eyes narrowed in deep thought as he leaned against the brick wall. "What do you mean, Tetheus?" Ruwalk questioned.

"…" The Black Dragon Officer closed his eyes. "Though perseverance can be a virtue, it can also be dangerous."

"Are you saying that Rath's want of Cesia will turn violent?" Kai-stern half-yelled, anger slowly building.

"No, I'm just saying that we should keep a closer watch on him," Tetheus replied coolly, his deep black eyes penetrating into Kai-stern's crystal white ones. "The prince has been in a rather…excited state lately."

"He did just turn eighteen," Ruwalk stated.

They continued to watch Rath disappear around a corner before moving way from their hiding place. They decided to head back to the Castle and meet up with Rath there, to give him the delusion that they had not been following the whole time. However, they did not notice the path the prince had actually taken. The way he was going did not lead back to the castle. Rather, it led to one of the darker areas of the city…

"Sumi-masen!" Cesia said as she bowed in front of her manager.

He sighed. "How many times has it been now?"

"Only once!" she half-yelled, keeping her anger in check. "And if it wasn't—"

"For Rath, yes, yes," he smiled. "Honestly, you should do something about him." He paused and leaned his face closer to hers, his bright orange eyes glittering with mischief. "Unless…you want me to end this whole affair by asking you marry me instead…?"

"BIERREZ!" she shouted as she pushed her way past to the dressing rooms.

He cringed when the door made a loud _bang!_ as she slammed it. "Geez, you'd think she thought I was serious about it…"

"But you were."

Bierrez whirled around to find a rather mysterious looking male yokai sitting at a single table, in his hand a half-empty glass of orange juice. He was dressed in casual clothes, a white shirt with a black vest and black pants. His hair was of a purple toned color and the right side of his bangs were grown over his right eye, though Bierrez could see the scare sealed shut eye underneath.

The yokai raised an eye to Bierrez. "I've watched you. Staring at her while she attends to customers." He lifted his glass and downed the remaining liquid before setting it back down onto the table, the ice clinking against the glass.

"How long have you been here?" Bierrez asked hotly.

"Long enough," he replied in a bored voice. "But you were serious in your…proposal."

The yokai flushed slightly before turning back to the counter. "I'm just making sure she's doing her job!"

"You only hired her so you could get closer," he continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "At least that's what's circulating around the yokai."

"Are you going to pay or what?" Bierrez fumed.

The strange customer gave a sly smile. "I'd watch that temper. She's coming with an order right now."

At that next second, Cesia walked up to the counter and handed Bierrez the slip before quickly turning away to server another table. The yokai manager caught himself staring after her. _Dammit, it's all just because of what that yokai said,_ he reproached himself.

"Nadil's in town," he suddenly said as he stared idly out the window.

Bierrez straightened slightly. "That's _Lord_ Nadil," Bierrez corrected automatically.

"I didn't think you had that much respect for him," the other said as he took another sip from his glass.

"I don't know, it just was an automatic thing that I have to do with the customers," he snorted.

"Who?"

The two yokai blinked and turned to find Cesia staring intently at them both.

"Who's here?" she asked again.

"Nadil, from Kainaldia," Bierrez said quizzically. "Why? You hardly ever want to know when someone important is in town."

"Well you two were making some sort of argument out of the guy and I was just wondering," she huffed before spinning on her heel to another table.

"You need better communication skills," the yokai said bluntly.

"Gee, thanks," Bierrez said sarcastically. "I'll make sure to come to you if I need it." He paused. "But how did you know?"

The yokai turned his head slightly away from the window so as to have his one eye on Bierrez. "Two ways: I just know and Nadil himself was just outside this building."

"NANI?!?!?"

The small café hushed as everyone turned to stare at the manager, his face slowly reddening from embarrassment. Cesia raised an eyebrow at him, a skeptical look on her face.

"Ah…nothing, just go back to what you were doing! Ah heheheh…" Bierrez immediately buried his face in his arms when everyone turned back around and the talking once more filled the café.

"Smooth," was all the customer said, though Bierrez did not have the desire to retort.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ He lifted his eyes lightly and stared out to all the customers seated at the various tables and booths. After a while he found his eyes had somehow locked themselves onto Cesia's back as she conversed with one of the customers. _She's…slacking off work._ "Cesia, this is no time for idle chatter! Get back to work!" he yelled. _Boy, I feel better now._

Cesia gave him a glaring glance before giving her friends a few departing words as she went to the next table. The two girls who had been conversing with her glanced at each other and giggled.

"Poor Cesia, I wonder how long she'll survive," one said to the other.

"It's Bierrez, he'll probably keep her a while," the other answered, a sly smirk on her lips.

"Kitchel!"

"It's true, Tintlet!" Kitchel leaned forward so as to talk in hushed tones with her friend. "It's why I came down here. I didn't realize that Bierrez was the manager of the place. That's why she was able to get a job so fast."

"They were schoolmates, right?"

"With Rath as well."

"Ooooh this is getting interesting!" Tintlet squealed with delight.

Kitchel grinned. "You don't know the half of it. Even when they were little those two guys would, though subtly, fight over Cesia." She leaned back. "Though now Bierrez has backed off a bit. I think something happened back then…"

Tintlet blinked. "Something bad?"

"No, not bad…just…something."

"Something what?"

Cesia found herself once again catching the end of a conversation that seemed to be actually interesting. She stared at Kitchel. "…You weren't talking about me…were you?"

"Of course not!" Kitchel lied smoothly. "I was talking about the taste of this drink. It doesn't taste bad…but it doesn't incredibly great either. Just…something."

Tintlet stared at Kitchel in wonder as Cesia raised an eyebrow. "Uh…right. Want me to get you another one?"

"Nah, it's fine," the girl said as she took a sip of it. "When do you get out from work?"

"I just got here."

"What?!" Kitchel almost splurted her drink out and managed to hold it in. Unfortunately it brought her down to coughing fits.

Cesia handed her a glass of water, though she was not sure how that would help. "You know how held me up."

"Rath?" Tintlet asked as Kitchel glugged the water down, only to have her coughing fits increased.

"Yes. And you know what he asked," she sighed. "It's really starting to get annoying."

"Then you should, cough, tell him that, ack," Kitchel managed to say between coughs.

"I try to, but whenever I see the pain in his eyes I can't." Cesia glanced at Bierrez and finding his back turned to her she sat down in the empty chair next to Kitchel. "I know it hurts him that I keep rejecting him, but…I'm not ready for marriage yet. And I don't think I feel the same way as Rath does…"

The two girls glanced at each other before looking at Cesia. "Ne, Cesia-chan," Tintlet said softly as she placed a gentle hand on her friend's arm, "you shouldn't feel bad about that. If you married just to make Rath happy then it wouldn't be a true marriage. Only when both partners love each other should they take on such a commitment."

Kitchel grinned at Tintlet. "Listen to her, she's practically engaged."

"Kitchel!" Tintlet blushed.

She stuck her tongue out her. "What? It's true! You two might as well be married by the amount of time y'all are together!"

Tintlet just sat there blushing madly as Cesia gave a small laugh. "You're embarrassing her, Kitchel."

"What's to be embarrassed about?" Kitchel smiled. "I would just die to have someone who would pay me such attentions!"

"But isn't it hard for you two to meet?" Cesia asked curiously. "I mean…Rune _is_ a Dragon Knight and has to be with Rath almost all the time."

"Sometimes…but we still manage," the faerie elf said quietly, her face still blushed.

Kitchel squirmed. "Ooooh this is just too cute!!" she yelled out as she hugged Tintlet. "You lucky girl!!"

"K-Kitchel!" Tintlet stammered as glanced quickly at Cesia.

Cesia just laughed at her friend's antics when she felt someone tap her shoulder. _…Busted._

"Ahem, there are tables waiting to be served…?" Bierrez said softly into her ear, making Cesia almost jump right out of her skin. She did the alternative and jumped out of the chair instead, staring bewilderedly at her manager. He just smiled and motioned to some tables whose occupants were watching them curiously. Without a word, she hurried over to them and quickly took their orders.

Kitchel stared up at Bierrez. "…Where's my parfait?"

"Did you order one?" he asked as he glanced down at her. He could feel the stranger's eyes still watching him and was starting to get irked by the yokai. He would have to tell him off when he returned.

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't," Kitchel was saying, jolting Bierrez out of his thoughts.

"All right, I'll get it." He turned to Tintlet. "Anything else for you?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she replied with a sweet smile.

"…" Bierrez looked at them for a moment before returning back to his counter. He had seen them before. But where?

"Rune's girlfriend and Cesia's housemate," the strange customer said coolly as he took another sip from his newly refilled glass.

The statement made Bierrez jump and almost drop the whip cream canister he was retrieving from the small fridge underneath the counter top. He slowly straightened and looked at him. "…What did you say…?"

The yokai glanced at him. "Those two girls. You were wondering who they were."

"How did you know?" Bierrez asked slowly.

"One has to know these sorts of things with the line of work I do."

"It seems all you do is just sit at that table and drink while staring out the window." He took out a bowl and started to make Kitchel's parfait. "I meant how did you know I was wondering that?"

"You were looking at them in such a way, as if to recollect a memory."

"…What are you, a psychologist or something?"

The yokai lifted his glass to the café manager, a small grin on his lips. "Something like that."

Bierrez just stared at him in bewilderment before finishing the parfait and walking over to where Kitchel and Tintlet were sitting. He placed the dessert in front of Kitchel then glanced around the tables. Everyone seemed to be contented and had been attended to. It then struck him that Cesia had stopped coming to his side to place orders. He glanced over to the other side where the main counter was, a lot more busy than usual. The yokai unconsciously clenched his fist and slowly made his way back to where the mysterious yokai was.

He pulled up a chair on the other side of him and slumped into it. "I give up. You win."

The other raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"I don't understand it," Bierrez groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "I can't possibly love her like that. She's like…like…a sister or something!"

"A sister?" he repeated as he lifted the glass to his lips. "Continue."

Bierrez looked at him. "What are you now, a psychiatrist?" he asked wryly.

"Something like that."

"Do I even _want_ to know what you do?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." He sighed. "I know when we were younger I once had feelings for her…but it changed after a while. I just found that I had wanted to protect her not because I loved her like…_that_ type of love, but because she was almost like family…as a sister."

"…I'm not sure I follow," the listener said. "You loved her loved her then you loved her like a sister? That doesn't usually happen."

"Well I'm not your usual guy, all right?"

"Don't have to tell me _that_ twice," he grinned as he took another drink. "Continue."

"…You know I feel rather stupid telling you these things," Bierrez said after a moment.

"Don't be, I hear that one all the time."

"…Right. Anyway, it's true. I guess I looked at her in a different way. And there was also…"

"Rath, right?" The yokai folded his arms on the table as he leaned forward slightly. "There was the conflict with Rath, wasn't there?"

Bierrez looked at him long and hard before continuing slowly. "There…was. I just could tell that Rath really liked Cesia."

"And so rather than creating a conflict and in effect hurting Cesia in that manner, you decided to just back off."

"…Damn. You're good."

"I hear that all the time," he grinned. "A noble decision, if foolish."

"I don't have regrets though." Bierrez looked over to where Cesia was attending a new set of customers. "I'm still by her side and I can still watch over her this way. As…a brother."

"Both orphans, weren't you?" He tilted his head slightly as he interlaced his fingers.

"At the age of thirteen I went out on an excursion to further train myself. When I returned, my feelings for Cesia had lessened even more and I also learned of Rath's attempts to have her hand in marriage." Bierrez paused. "I worry about that now. I somehow have a bad feeling about it."

"There is nothing you can really do about it," the other yokai stated as he moved his glass about the table. "It is their own decision. Rath will not force her. At least I don't believe so. Lord Lykouleon would disapprove if the prince tried."

"True…but I still worry." It was now that Bierrez noticed something different about the yokai before him. He took a closer look and his eyes widened when he saw something glinting in the incoming sunlight now streaming full blast through the crystal clear windows.

"That's a…"

The yokai blinked and glanced down at the collar of his vest. "Dammit…I forgot about that…" He glanced apologetically at Bierrez as he quickly unpinned the badge and hastily placed it in his pocket.

"…Who are you?" Bierrez asked as he watched the other do this.

"…Nadil's Captain of the Guard, Gil," the yokai said after a moment.

"YOU'RE NADIL'S WHAT?!?!?"

Gil clamped hand over Bierrez mouth as everyone turned back around to stare at them. Cesia was looking them as if they were crazy. "You have a problem with that, you know that?!" Gil hissed when everyone turned back around and started to talk in hushed tones.

"Mmmf!!" Bierrez pried Gil's hand off and gasped. "I almost suffocated!"

"Well it probably would have been for the good of us all if you did with you yelling out like that!"

"Well you should have at least given me a warning!"

"Wasn't the badge warning enough?!"

"No!"

"…" Gil just stared at him and sighed as he slumped back into his chair. "Don't tell anyone, especially anyone who goes by the name Fedelta."

"Fedelta?" Bierrez repeated, an eyebrow raised.

"Just don't tell anyone at all," Gil said. "To anyone else, I'm some random yokai that you know, capiche?"

"Uh…right." _Boy did his attitude change…_ Bierrez looked at him for a moment. "…Okay so wait. I just told my personal love life to someone who works for Nadil??"

"…Pretty much."

There was loud crash as Bierrez slid out of his chair and landed on his side on the floor. "…I. Am. Such. An. Idiot."

"Can't agree with you more," Gil said as he helped him up. "But don't you feel better about it?"

"…I guess," Bierrez said, though he was still skeptical. "So that's how you knew that Nadil was here other than him being right outside..." He paused. "Do you not address him by his title?"

"He prefers that we don't," the captain of the guard replied idly.

"And you let him roam free?"

"He's a big kid. He can handle himself."

"…You're strange you know that?"

"I hear that all the time."

"You hear a lot of stuff all the time."

Gil looked sharply at Bierrez who just raised his hand in half salute. "Be glad I'm in one of my lighter moods."

_Like I haven't heard that one before…_ "Why are you here anyway? Skipping work?"

"Gathering information."

"Do you moonlight as a spy or something?"

"No, there's no need for that. It's just been a while since we've last been here and I was hoping to catch any news other than what we had received from before."

"How are things with the lesser yokai?" Bierrez asked suddenly.

"They've calmed down, finally seeing the light I suppose," Gil snorted. "The last thing we need is a war. Nadil decided to come down here to speak with Lord Lykouleon about one of the villages along the Calnades River. There had been reports of lesser water yokai rising up and attacking the villages, inhabited by all three races. As it is of the Dragon Territory, we wished to receive permission before moving in and eliminating the threat."

"Wow, and you're telling me this?"

"You'd find out sooner or later through news and gossip," Gil said idly.

"Can you ever be **not** correct?"

Gil looked up to the ceiling for a moment before answering. "No, I don't think so."

Bierrez rolled his eyes. He sat still to listen to the bell ringing five o'clock. It was already that late? He stood up. "Well it's time to close up." He handed Gil a slip of paper. "That'll be 789," he smiled.

Gil's left eye shot wide open. "789?! For what??"

Bierrez waved his hand over the mountain of glasses on the table. "All of that. You drank a lot."

The caption of Nadil's guard grumbled as he paid his due and stood up. "Think of it as a compliment," he said with a small smile. "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Bierrez." He held out his hand.

Bierrez took it. "Likewise. Please come again, and bring your guard if they promise not to be rowdy. This is a _café, _not a pub."

Gil gave a backhand wave as he left through the door, making the small bells hanging above ring their crystal chimes. "Will do." In a few more moments he had disappeared among the crowd quickly gathering along the streets as shops started to close up.

"Bierrez, while you were having your little chit-chat with that man, I cleaned up everything," Cesia said as she passed the yokai and headed to the door.

"…Cesia wait." When she turned he took a breath. "I'm…sorry. About earlier. It was uncalled for and I shouldn't have said something about that."

She looked at him for a moment before opening the door. "It's all right, I knew you were joking." She gave him a smile. "But do that again and I'll slap you in the face without hesitant, all right?" With that she went through the door, the bells once more clinking.

Bierrez sighed as he watched her go. He still had an uneasy feeling about her and Rath. He couldn't put his thumb on it, but it would not go away either. He walked out of the café and gently closing the door, locking it. After double-checking and he threw the keys up in the air and caught it, staring down at them hard.

He had decided. He would watch over Cesia and make sure she was kept safe. Even if it meant making Rath his enemy.

* * *

Trala, now this is better =D A much longer chapter full of what seems like a bunch of meaningless stuff xD

So Bierrez and Gil got introduced as well as Tintlet and the mentioning of others . I was at first thinking about having a love square going on, but that was getting complicated so I made Bierrez into the brother figure. Gil obviously had some stuff done to him. Tintlet…well she's fine I guess. As well as Kitchel.

The next chapter will deal more with Rath and Cesia, possibly Nadil but not sure yet. There'll also be another character introduced in the next chapter, and I'm not sure if you'll like it or not…

And remember, expect characters to not be themselves!


	3. The Babysitter!

Hidden Roses

Chapter 3 – The Babysitter??

Hm, I've been thinking about why the heck I'm doing a romance story like this. I know I'm going to receive those reviews wanting this to be a Rath and Cesia fic (well, that's already happened, but oh well .) and then there will maybe even be those who want it to be a Bierrez and Cesia fic oO (oop, did I say something I shouldn't have? cough) And then how all these relationships are gonna be kinna skewed…and also personalities…major personality changes…oi I'll be getting hate mail on some of these…

Ah well, that's the joy of doing something almost, if not totally, against the original storyline D It's almost like creating your own story and just taking characters from another and planting them in there…hm…

Well, go on and read if you're still reading .

* * *

Night slowly fell upon the city of Draqueen as the citizens returned from their work (or going to if they had the nightshifts). But one person did not head in the direction of his home. Instead, he had already left the city limits and was going to a place where even the rays of light from the day do not reach. Many have called it the Realm of Eternal Darkness, a place hidden deep in the Garlinia Forest and where only complete darkness was accepted. This meant only the more villainous of characters ever tread through there and return back to see light again (not that they enjoyed it much, of course).

Many have told of tales of foolish souls who entered and never came back, supposedly taken captive or worse, killed and eaten. No one knew exactly what went in that small area deep in the forests, only just a few hundred yards from the city walls. Even the Black Dragon Officer, Tetheus, had become wary and had discussed with the Dragon Lord of the need of eradicating the dark society dwelling within the forest, many officials backing him up. But of course, until the Dragon Lord Lykouleon could find concrete evidence of darker activities other than pirating and thieving, as well as a direct assault to Draqueen, the secret society hidden deep within Garlinia Forest would remain unharmed by the Dragon Forces.

"Of course…that did not mean that a certain Prince could not come visit and…talk…" a voice suddenly said as Rath approached the entrance to the Realm of Eternal Darkness.

Rath just stared at the place he thought the voice came from and stated in a firm voice, "So you decided to meet me instead of me venturing inside…eh, Kharl?"

A low chuckle slithered out of the dark as two bright orbs made themselves visible and a cloaked figure stepped forth. There was a flutter of feathers as two birds readjusted themselves upon their masters' shoulders, one eye each trained on the Dragon Prince before them. "What is it that you wish from me?"

With his eyes alight with the fire of determination and passion, Rath said, "I need your help…and I need power."

Cesia sighed as she reached the front door of her home. "Tadaima!" she yelled into the house as she slipped out of her shoes and hopped onto the wooden floor.

Silence.

After a moment, she paused as she looked into the living room. "…Delte? Kitchel? Zoma?" Again hearing no response, she felt her heart speed up as she dashed around the house calling their names. Delte and Kitchel might have gone out, she reasoned, but Zoma was still unable to leave the house since the incident. What if… "Zoma!!" she yelled panicking as she raced up the stairs, her breath coming out in quick gasps as she threw open the door to his room. "ZOMA!"

"Ssh…he's sleeping."

Cesia froze as she stared at the scene before her. Nothing was wrong; Zoma was indeed in his bed sound asleep, his chest rising and falling gently, his breathing light and deep. Nothing was out of place. Nothing…except…

"Who are you?" she said, her voice firm yet shaking slightly as she stared at the stranger sitting next to Zoma's bed.

After a slight pause, the person slowly stood up and turned to look at her. As the stranger moved, Cesia noticed something underneath Zoma's arm. It was small and yellowish green in color. It most resembled a fish and a cute one at that. She could not tear her eyes off of it until the person gave a cough. "I think you were addressing _me_ rather than my pet."

"Zoma's not your pet!" Cesia cried out in indignation.

There was a slight twitch. "I meant _Galaba_, my fish."

"…It has a name?"

"GALABA IS NOT AN IT!" the stranger yelled. They both froze when they saw the boy in the bed stir slightly, only to roll over onto his side, Galaba still clutched tightly, yet gently, and also asleep.

Cesia stared at the person in front of her. A girl or boy, she was not sure, though the voice definitely sounded like a male. The light short green hair hung down more like a girl's, however, and the eyes…_well they're definitely not human…nor Dragon…_ She blinked and straightened. _Yo…kai?_ "…Who are you?" she asked again. "Why are you here? How come you're in Zoma's room?"

"My name is Sabel, your friends dragged me off the street to look after him while they went shopping for dinner, and we've been playing around here until he got tuckered out and fell asleep."

_Well…that explains everything in a nutshell._ "Oh…" she said slightly embarrassed.

"What did you think I was?" Sabel asked bluntly. "Some kidnapper or child molester?"

She blinked. "Your words, not mine." Cesia paused. "…Are you a girl or a guy?"

"I'M A GUY!!" he yelled out. It was obvious that many people had asked the same question before, seeing how touchy he was about it.

A small sweat bead formed on Cesia's head as Sabel crosses his arms and started muttering something about crazy girls among the Dragons. She stepped forward and leaned down a bit so she could look up into his face as his was looking away. "New around here?"

"Only because my Lord is here," he muttered before his eyes grew wide and he brought his hands to his mouth. _Shit!_

Cesia gasped as she saw the long vein-like lines visible along down his wrist and halfway down his lower arm. "Your…your hand…"

_Phew, I'm safe…_ Sabel held up a hand in front of her. "What this?" He gave a small laugh. "A condition. I stayed in the water too long once and this happened," he lied. He could not tell her the truth. It was too complicated for her to understand.

"…I see…" she said, though her face showed her skepticism. Seeing as he would say no more, she pulled up a chair and motioned for him to sit back down where he was. "So tell me, how did Delte and Kitchel managed to drag some complete stranger off the streets and baby-sit Zoma-kun?"

"I have no idea, I was just asking for directions!" he exclaimed in complete confusion. "This map this lady gave me was completely screwed up, so I decided to ask one of the inhabitants of this city to tell me directions. I came up to this house seeing as it looked like people were inside and knocked on the door. The next thing I know, before I could even say hello, two pairs of arms dragged me inside, told me to stay here and look after that Zoma kid, threatened that if they came back and found one hair missing from his head that they would give me a punishment worse than death," at this he shuddered, "and then just shot off saying something about telling this girl named Cesia that if she came back home that they went off to get something." He took a deep breath. "And so that's how it was. Zoma said my face was so complete with shock he thought I was going to just pass out or something."

Cesia chuckled. "That's so like them…but trusting _you_…" She stared at him harder. "I wonder why…"

He shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me. They almost trampled on Galaba in their haste to leave!" he fumed.

At the sound of his name, the fish gave a tiny _blub_ and wriggled his way free from Zoma's now slack grasp. To Cesia's utter amazement, the fish-like creature did not just _fly_ in the air. It _swam_! And in this way did the little Galaba go to his master and with another cute little _blub_ that would make anyone's heart just skip and go "Aww…", he did a little "flip" and clapped his fins.

"Galaba-chan!!" Sabel squealed as he huggled his pet-like friend. "You're getting cuter and cuter every day!!"

"I wanna hug him!!!" Cesia squealed, her eyes all starry with desire to hold the cute creature. Galaba turning his head and making another _blub_squeak made her snatch him right from out of Sabel's hands. "Eeeee!!"

"HEY!" Sabel shouted as he made a grab for Galaba. "I don't think I gave you permission to hug MY Galaba-chan!!"

"I just wanna hold him for a widdle while!" Cesia said in a cute, child voice, making Sabel jerk back in slight embarrassment and agitation. _Hehe, sucker._

With a sigh, Sabel dropped his head, only to look back up and watch Cesia fondle the fish creature with a soft smile on his face. Galaba looked as if he was in absolute delight as the girl continued to coo and hug him, holding him up high and even throwing and catching him. Sabel propped his arm up on his knee and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "You know…you're the first girl who didn't scream of fright on seeing Galaba-chan."

"Why on Dusis would I do that?" Cesia laughed as she continued to baby Galaba. "He's so wai!!"

"You know I'm Yokai, right?"

The question made Cesia falter for a moment before hugging Galaba close to her chest. "Yes…I could tell from your eyes."

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds being Zoma's light breathing (he was still somehow asleep) and the occasional _blubs_ Galaba gave out. The silence was broken by the sound of a door bursting open downstairs and the sounds of feet walking about the house.

"We're home!" Delte yelled upward. "Sabel-san! Cesia-chan! Zoma-kun!! Dinner!!"

At the word 'dinner', Zoma immediately sat up wide-awake, startling both Cesia and Sabel. "Dinner?!" he cried in excitement as he threw the sheets off his body and staggered out of his bed.

"Zoma, slow down," Cesia said as she quickly handed Sabel Galaba and held Zoma's slightly shaking body. "You're still feeling the after effects of the incident…"

_Incident?_ Sabel looked down at the trembling boy and blinked. He had never noticed any signs of illness or hurt when he was playing with the kid, yet now they were as plain as day. _Pale skin…bloodshot eyes…sweat drenching his clothes…_ What had happened here?

Immediately Galaba swam-flew over to Zoma and with a worried _blub_ wrapped his body around the boy's shoulder. Sabel stared slightly wide-eyed as the symptoms started to fade.

Before he could speak, Kitchel threw open the door with a loud _BANG_ and walked in. "Sorry we're late! It seemed that nearly all the stores were fresh out of…"

Sabel tuned out as Kitchel started jabbering nonsense about different sorts of fruits and vegetables that apparently had been necessary for the dish Delte had been preparing for them, and that Sabel's sudden arrival had to make them prepare another plate. He twitched slightly at that. It was not as if he had invited himself into their home. _More like they dragged me in_, he huffed as he crossed his arms in indignation. "I'm going downstairs," he said in a slightly annoyed voice as he walked out of the room and headed down toward the kitchen.

"Geez, what a guy that guy is," Kitchel huffed as she stared at Sabel's retreating back.

"Well…you did kinna drag him in here, Kitchel nee-san," Zoma said in a small voice, already feeling his strength return to him. "And I'm hungry! What did you guys get for us to eat?"

Kitchel grinned. "It's your favorite! Fried—"

"FRIED FISH?!?!?!?"

A small sweat bead appeared on Cesia's head. That was, without a doubt, Sabel.


	4. Zoma's Recovery Plan

Hidden Roses

Chapter 4 – Zoma's Recovery Plan

Whee Sabel =D I just had to have him in here n.n Looks like **a lot** of the cast is going to be in here…and looks like this fic might be more than a romance o.O Well, still some time before I actually get to the actual romance part…Sigh. I was planning to have it occur by now…but oh well. Things change xD Zoma's going to be one hyper kid at some points xD Ah well, he **is** a kid . Dangit, and I keep typing 'Delete' rather than 'Delte' xDDD And I did it then, too xDDD

* * *

"Itadakimasu!!"

"KITCHEL! GALABA IS NOT FOOD!!" Sabel shouted frantically as he quickly snatched the wandering Galaba away from Kitchel's chopsticks.

Kitchel smirked. "I wasn't aiming for _him_, I was aiming for that trout over there," she said as she picked up the piece of fish. She felt a sense of triumph as she watched the yokai's face turn in a ghastly pale.

"Aniki!" Zoma said excitedly as he tugged on Sabel's sleeve. "Can I tell them what happened today?"

Sabel blinked as he looked over to the young boy sitting next to him, slightly thrown out by the new name ('older brother') Zoma had given him. With a hesitant nod, he assented. "Yeah, you can."

"'Aniki', eh?" Kitchel smirked as she leaned over and elbowed him. She grinned as she saw the peeved look he was giving her.

"Well, Zoma, what all did you do?" Delte said as she took a sip from her tea.

"We went outside!" he said excitedly as he threw his hands into the air, accidentally knocking into Sabel, which made the yokai start to choke on his food.

"Outside?" Kitchel inquired as she glanced at the coughing yokai. "Where to?"

"We went to that lake that's not too far away." Zoma was almost jumping in his seat from excitement of telling them their adventure. "And that's where Galaba came from! But he was HUGE!! Like almost bigger than this whole room!!"

"What? This little guy?" Kitchel said incredulously, staring at the small fish creature swim-flying hurriedly around the now recovering yokai.

"Y-Yeah," Sabel managed to say as he gave one last hearty beat to the chest and one last mighty cough before taking a drink of his water. "After a certain person almost trampled on him," he paused to give Kitchel a glare, "I sent him to that lake to calm his nerves. He hyperventilates easily and can get jumpy. And this is just his traveling and visiting size."

"…Wow," Kitchel said in slight awe as she looked again at the fish now resting atop Sabel's head. "But…he's so cute!!" she exclaimed as she clasped her hands and stared at the small fish starry-eyed.

Sabel leaned back away from the girl sitting next to him a bit. "…Have you Dragons…ever seen something like Galaba…?"

The foursome shook their heads. "And I'm a faerie elf," Delte said with slight resentment. Zoma just quickly went back to his food.

"Er…sorry," Sabel said hastily.

"Continue Zoma," Cesia said quickly as she glanced at the tense look on Delte's face.

"Huh?" they boy said with his mouth full. "Oh yeah! After Galaba appeared, Sabel let me ride him!"

"WHAT?!" the three girls shouted as they stared at Sabel, making him lean back even farther away from the table.

"It was fun," Zoma said hurriedly, "and Sabel was with me the whole time! I felt like I was riding…riding…I don't know, maybe a whale or something! It was great!!"

"But how did you feel afterwards?" Delte asked in a worried tone. "Did you feel tired? Sick? Hurt?"

"I was a little tired," the boy admitted, "but it was only because of the great fun I was having! I mean…after the incident…"

A sudden hush quickly followed as everyone looked down to his or her plate.

Except Sabel.

"Okay, I've heard of talk of this 'incident' but I don't know what the hell it is," he said confused. "Could someone explain it to me?"

The three girls glanced at one another before Delte spoke. "It was a while back…well, first I'm sure you could tell that he was yokai."

Sabel blinked. "Well…yeah… There are a lot of yokai here now in Draqueen."

Delte nodded. "One of the reasons why I grabbed you when you came…anyway, a while back, Zoma used to be a normal boy, perfectly healthy. Until one day, his bird was found missing."

_Well that's an oxymoron_, the yokai thought silently before asking, "His bird?"

"Yes, his bird," Kitchel picked up. "You see, like you have Galaba…kind of…except he depended on his bird. Like Cesia, his element is the wind and air. When he had his bird, he was able to even fly around a little. Of course, he was still practicing that," she said with a rueful smile, glancing only briefly at the silent boy sitting at the table, his head down slightly.

"After one of his practices, I noticed someone watching," Cesia interceded, glancing at Kitchel who gave her a nod. "When I came back from searching, I discovered Zoma collapsed on the ground, black and white feathers spread about him…" She shook slightly before recomposing herself. "I immediately called Delte and Kitchel and we took him to a doctor who could treat yokai."

"…And?" Sabel said softly.

Delte shook her head as she took her turn of the tale. "She told us that without his bird, he would have an unstable health and life. He would be able to move around, but there would be a limit. He could grow weak and sick and he'll be more susceptible to illnesses now. He becomes exhausted very easily. Sometimes even the task of walking up and down the stairs makes him lose his breath…"

Once more silence overcame the table as everyone stared down at the now cold food lying before them. After a minute of thought, Sabel looked up at Galaba. _But…_ He could not make sense of it. Whenever Zoma was directly with Galaba, he was perfectly fine. But when Galaba was away from him after a period of time, Zoma became weaker and sick again. A thought struck him and he glanced around at the boy sitting beside him. He looked healthier than before, no signs of weakness showing yet.

"…I have an idea," Sabel said suddenly, causing everyone to look up. "I know some specialists who might know something about how to heal Zoma so that he could be able to live successfully without the aide of another yokai animal."

"Another yokai animal?" Kitchel repeated. "But I thought Zoma specifically needed his bird."

Sabel hesitated as he slowly said aloud his thoughts. "I've been observing…that whenever Galaba is around Zoma, he looks, and I think, feels stronger. When he was riding Galaba earlier, he showed no signs of fatigue or anything. In fact, he showed the complete opposite. He was glowing with perfect health." He glanced up at Galaba, the fish peering over the top of Sabel's head to look back with curious eyes. "But I want to know if it's just Galaba or if it really is just the necessity of having a yokai animal, or aide."

"And where can we find these specialists?" Kitchel asked skeptically.

"I can take you to them," the yokai said but paused as he cringed slightly. "Though…I _hate_ meeting with them…"

"Why's that?" Zoma asked curiously. "Are they…scary?"

"…" Sabel gave a small smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "Only if you show fear. But they can be _creepy_."

"Then how can we trust you?" Delte asked as she looked worriedly at the boy across from her.

"We can trust him," Cesia said. "If he had wanted to do harm to Zoma he would have done so while everyone was gone. Yet you had placed that trust in him, Delte," she added as she looked at the faerie elf. "Why, that is still a mystery to me."

"…Yes…I did…" Delte slowly admitted. "…All right. Tomorrow then?" she asked quickly, obviously ignoring Cesia's half questioned statement.

Sabel nodded. "But…there's one condition." He looked at them hard. "Only one other can come with him. They don't really like a lot of people…"

"I'll go," Cesia said firmly, looking at the other two as if daring them to go against her.

Kitchel stared at her before relaxing slightly and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I guess it can't be helped," she sighed and closed her eyes. "Out of us three, you care the most about Zoma-kun." She opened one eye and trained it on Zoma. "And out of us three, I would think Zoma-kun would rather Cesia-chan, right?"

"I-I would want ALL of us!!" Zoma said in a rushed voice, his face reddening slightly.

Sabel noted the expression and glanced at Delte. "And you? Do you affirm this?"

_…Change of tone…I was right._ The faerie elf looked at Sabel for a moment before nodding. "I can trust Cesia with my life, and I know that if anything should happen she would protect him with her life." She gave Cesia a hard look. "Or else."

For the third time that night in that house, a sweat bead formed on Cesia's head. "H-Hai…"

"Then it's settled!" Sabel said, his voice once again cheerful. "Tomorrow morning it is." Something caught his eye from the window and he stood up from the table, pushing in his chair. "I know it seems kinna sudden, but it's getting late and Zoma shouldn't be staying past his bedtime," he said grinning at the boy.

"Awww, do you have to go?" Zoma pouted.

"Hey, I'm coming back tomorrow!!" the yokai exclaimed in a slightly desperate voice. "We'll see each other again."

"…And where are you staying?" Kitchel asked with an eyebrow raised. "If I recall…you were intending to ask us directions…?"

Sabel irked slightly and quickly recomposed himself. "Ah, it's all right, I had found a place to stay earlier just in case something happened…"

They all filed out of the dining room and Cesia placed her hands on Zoma's shoulders as Sabel strapped into his boots and grabbed his jacket. Cesia wondered how she never noticed these things before. _I guess I was in such a rush…_

The water yokai and Galaba waved after opening the door. "Tomorrow morning! And don't sleep in! I don't like to be kept waiting," he grinned. "Ja ne!"

"Bye!" they called back as he closed the door firmly behind him.

Sabel gave a quick backward glance. From the shadows from the window he could tell that they were now retiring to their rooms. He let out a sigh and started to walk forward when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Playing it a little close…ne, Sabel-chan?"

Feeling his blood starting to boil, the yokai narrowed his eyes as he turned toward the direction of the voice. "What do you want, Fedelta?"

A slim figure dressed completely in black except for a dark red badge pinned to his chest appeared from around the house and walked up to the slightly annoyed yokai standing under the streetlamp. "Just wondering where you were. You didn't arrive on time…so unlike you."

"I ran into a few…difficulties."

Fedelta smirked. "I see. Just be glad that the Lord favors you."

"He has no favorites," Sabel retorted. "Anyway, it's late. Tell the Lord that I'll see him tomorrow…and I have to ask _their_ help."

Fedelta raised an eyebrow. "Getting serious, are we? What happened to that carefree always thought life as his playground Sabel I used to know?"

"Things change," he scoffed as he started to walk off. "Just give him the message all right?"

"You've been away too long, Sabel-chan," Fedelta said coolly. "…Did you experience hardships during your travels?"

"SHUT UP!" Two jets of water suddenly flew at Fedelta, the fire yokai only barely dodging. Sabel just stood there with his shaking arms still outstretched, his eyes wide as thoughts returned to his mind. Galaba, who had still been on top of Sabel's head, gave a startled squeak as he flew off from his resting place and floated in the air.

Fedelta stared at the small droplets of water evaporating off his clothing. "…I take that as a yes. Oh well, they come to everyone." He gave Sabel one final glance before smoke and fire started to envelop him. "I'll tell the Lord. Just don't hurt your heart too much now, hm? Can't have another unstable yokai around…" And with that, Fedelta disappeared within a whirlwind of smoke and ash.

Sabel dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his head as Galaba frantically swam in the air around him. The fish suddenly stopped as he heard the soft sobbing sounds coming from his master and slowly swam closer to him. With shaking hands, the veins visible on his hands now a glowing dark red, Sabel gently took Galaba and held him close to his chest, rain slowly starting to fall alongside the tears that came from the water yokai's painful past.

* * *

Awwww Sabel-chan T.T Well obviously his personality changed a bit. Or a lot. Kinna hard to work with a character you don't know really know much about yet ;; Oh well, I'm making a lot of stuff up anyway xP

BTW, I have a lot of the chapters already written but I'm being...strictly limited from the internet --; so...I'm technically writing the stuff just not updated . And I'm still on strike with the DK Fairy Tales.


	5. Attack and Desperation

Hidden Roses

Chapter 5 – Attack and Desperation

Will I ever get to the heart of this story?

::crickets chirp::

EVENTUALLY I SWEAR!

* * *

"Your Highness!! Your Highness where are you?!"

"Rune, you're going to confuse everyone with Rath and the Dragon Lord."

"THAT'S PRINCE RATH, YOU DISRESPECTFUL INGRATE!!"

"I'm not an ingrate!" Thatz snapped as he glared at Rune. The two Dragon Knights were continuing their search for the missing Dragon Prince, a task they had been doing since the previous evening.

"You act more like a free loader than taking to your job," Rune snapped back as they turned a corner out into the gardens. "Your Highness!!" Rune desperately shouted.

"Look, I doubt Rath returned here last night," Thatz sighed as Rune continued his frantic callings. "I'm telling you, we have to search _outside_ the castle!"

"What would he be doing out there?" Rune gave him a dubious look. "Besides, he knows how everyone gets, especially Alfeegi."

Thatz stopped as he looked toward his left. "Speak of the devil…"

"YOUR MAJESTY STOP YOUR HIDING THIS ONCE AND GET BACK HERE!!" the White Dragon Officer was screeching as Ruwalk, who was with him, plugged his ears with his fingers and winced.

"Alfeegi…if you must scream that loud, scream in the direction I'm not in?" the Dragon Officer said, only to regret saying anything as Alfeegi whirled around and glared at him, the look on the Dragon Officer's face able to scare even a yokai.

The two Dragon Knights glanced at each other and jogged over to them. "What's wrong, Alfeegi?" Thatz quickly asked, relieving Ruwalk from Alfeegi's murderous looks.

"Lord Lykouleon went missing, _again_," Alfeegi said in a tight voice, obviously trying to control his rather uncontrollable anger.

"Maybe he went to search for Rath?" Thatz mused aloud.

Ruwalk irked as Alfeegi's face turned harder than stone. "…What was that?"

"WE'RE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK!" Rune immediately yelled as he stomped hard on Thatz's foot, making the Earth Dragon Knight tighten in pain. "A-Anyway," he continued upon seeing the dubious look on Alfeegi's face, "we can help you find His Majesty as Rath is a pretty good, er, hider and will come out after a few minutes!"

"Yes, that's a _wonderful_ idea!" Ruwalk exclaimed, giving an extra emphasis on the word 'wonderful'. "Four pairs of eyes are better than two!"

"I thought the saying was 'Two heads are better than one'…" Thatz mumbled as they followed the Dragon Officers.

"There are variations," Rune said tersely. "And what was with that slip up??" he hissed in a low voice as he grabbed Thatz's ear. "Alfeegi doesn't know that Rath is actually missing!!"

"Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowowoooooow!!!" Thatz managed to pry his ear away from Rune's tight grasp and rubbed the lobe tenderly. "Geez, that hurt!"

"Well I would hope so." Rune looked around the area and suddenly halted. "Ah! There he is!" He blinked. "But…who is that with him?"

"AN ENEMY?!" Alfeegi quickly called upon his sword and started to run toward the place Rune had pointed out, only to feel a sharp tug and fly backwards as Ruwalk grabbed the back of his collar.

"Easy, killer," Ruwalk sighed and drew the Dragon Officer up to his face. "Lets first check it out. It could be some Dragon Fighters slacking off from their duty."

Grudgingly Alfeegi assented to this idea and the blade disappeared as the foursome slowly made their way through the grove of trees and to the shaded area where two figures could be made out sitting across from one another, a small garden table in between. They were talking.

Sabel stared down the intersection. "Uh…"

"Are you _sure_ you know where you're going?" a voice behind him asked.

He gave Cesia an annoyed glance. "I know where I'm going!!" he snapped, though he was silently admitting that he had no idea what he was doing. He glanced down at the map. "Uh…we took a right at Daarla…then…straight down there…took the left…" He looked back up at the signs and gave a shout of triumph. "Aha! This way!" he ordered as he took a right down the street and hurried down along it.

"Hey!" Cesia yelled as she quickly took the still sleepy-eyed Zoma's hand and whisked him down the streets after the yokai.

"Iun wanna eat the peach pie Delte…" the boy mumbled.

_Still asleep…_ she sighed before yanking down Sabel's white jacket. "SLOW DOWN!"

"HEY YOU'LL RIP IT!" he yelled back as he yanked the material away from her.

"…What is that made out of anyway?" she asked as they continued to walk down the cobblestone streets.

Sabel irked a little before giving a shaky response. "Um, this, new, uh, designer material from this, uh, yokai designer person yeah!" he laughed.

Cesia raised an eyebrow. "Uh…yeah…"

"Hoy! Cesia! Did you already find someone to ward off Rath with?" a voice called from the side of the street.

Cesia jerked forward before whirling toward the speaker and yelling, "BIERREZ!!!!"

Sabel blinked as Zoma became more awake. _Rath? Bierrez?_ The names sounded familiar but he could not place them. His attention turned to the male smirking at Cesia, but it immediately switched to the other male standing next to the one Cesia called Bierrez. _What the…what is _he_ doing here?!_

"So is that a yes?" Bierrez continued as he leaned forward with a wicked grin on his face. "Well this makes things easier for me, I guess…"

"HE'S JUST A FRIEND! A **FRIEND**! HELPING ZOMA WITH HIS PROBLEM!!" she half screeched.

Sabel glanced around and a small sweat bead popped out. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the agitated girl screaming her head off at the more calm looking yokai smirking at her from the doorway of his café.

Bierrez shook his head and waved a finger in front of her face. "Tsk tsk tsk! Young ladies should not be displaying such behavior in public." He sighed. "Using Zoma as an excuse to go out with another guy…what a lame—" _YANK! _"OW OW OW OW OW OW OW LET GO LET GO LET GO THAT HURTS DAMMIT!!!!" he shrieked as Cesia kept her firm hold on the longer strands of his hair, yanking them down so that his head almost went down to his knees.

"YOU. ME. TALK. NOW!!" she yelled as she dragged the screaming Bierrez inside of his café.

The sweat beads only increased and grew larger as Sabel watched the scene before glancing down at Zoma. The boy's face held the same expression. Placing a hand on the boy's head, the yokai said, "Well, I guess we should get something to drink here?"

"H-Heh…yeah…" Zoma agreed hesitantly as the two made their way inside. The yelling could be heard from ten feet away from the closed door. _I hope she doesn't kill him…she still needs this job…_

As they entered the door, Sabel gave Zoma a little push and told him to get a table, saying he had someone to talk to. After the boy had gone away, the yokai, without moving from his place, spoke. "Gil, what are you doing here?"

"My break," he responded, shrugging away from the glass window he had been leaning on. "You? You did not arrive on time last night. What happened?" Hearing no immediate response from Sabel, he nodded at Zoma who was debating whether to get the two-person table or a booth. "Problems?"

"Lets say I got 'dragged' into things," Sabel replied wryly. His face softened. "But it looks I'll be seeing the Lord a little later. I'm trying to help that boy."

"Galaba is with him," Gil noticed. "Almost didn't see him, he's so small hidden in that boy's hair." He straightened. "Is he…"

"Yes, I think _he_ had something to do with it," Sabel completed Gil's sentence, turning to him. "That's why I'm taking him to see them."

"And her?" Gil nodded his head toward Cesia and Bierrez talking in restrained hushed voices near the back. "Is she the guardian?"

"One of them, there was also a human and an elf looking after the child. I got lost," Sabel finally admitted finally, "and knocked on their door to ask directions, only to find myself appointed as impromptu babysitter until Cesia returned from her work." He looked at Zoma, seeing that they boy had decided to take the booth and had gone over to try and help things between Cesia and Bierrez. "I didn't realize anything was wrong. Whenever he was with Galaba everything was fine. But after what they told me, I think he's one of them."

Gil stared at the boy, his mind deep in thought. "I am not sure if you can trust them anymore, though, Sabel," he said softly. "Especially that witch."

"But they know more about the yokai and his doings. Who else could I ask? The Lord?"

"He could do something…"

"To deal with something like this—"

"Aniki!!" Zoma called over to him as he dragged both Bierrez and Cesia to the booth he had reserved. "Come on!!"

Gil glanced at Sabel's slightly embarrassed face. "Aniki, eh?"

"Shut up," the yokai muttered, though he was not really annoyed. "Want to join us?" Sabel asked after a moment.

"No thanks, I have things to do. But I will tell the Lord of your plans." Gil turned and placed a hand on the door before stopping. "Oh yes, and I should warn you. I would not trust Fedelta…there have been rumors going around the barracks. Just be watchful," he warned before opening the door, the bells giving their soft chime as the Captain of the Guard left the café.

"…Fedelta?" _I guess he did not tell the Lord last night then…_ Sabel thought to himself as he made his way to where the others were waiting. He slid in next to the empty seat next to Zoma. "Sorry for the delay, just talking with a…friend."

"So, YOU'RE Sabel!" Bierrez said suddenly, making the yokai jump slightly. "Geez, sorry about that back there," he laughed nervously as he glanced at Cesia's death glares. "With everything going on, I had actually kind of expected something like that…OW!" Bierrez gently rubbed his shin and glared at the girl who kicked her.

"Heh…it's all right…just glad that you saw that I was a guy…" Sabel mumbled the last bit.

Bierrez blinked. "What was that?"

"Uh, er, I guess I should think of it as a new way of saying hi!" Sabel said hastily, adding a quick laugh.

"Um…yeah," Bierrez coughed. "So, you're a yokai, too? And helping out Zoma buddy over here?" he grinned at the boy drinking the malt he had prepared for him.

"Yes, that's correct," Sabel affirmed, "and we shall be leaving as soon as Zoma-kun feels ready," he smiled.

"'m 'urrying!" the boy managed to say as he quickly tried to finish his malt.

"Zoma, there's no need to rush," Cesia laughed. "Take your time."

The boy gasped as he took one last slurp of his drink and leaned back into the booth. "But I wanna get healed as fast as I can!" He looked up at Sabel. "We can go now! I'm ready!! And Bierrez nii-san said it was on the house so lets goooo!"

"Impatient aren't we?" Sabel mused as he slid out of the booth to let the boy out. "Then shall we?"

"Wakata, wakata!" Cesia sighed as she took his hand led him out the door. "But you shouldn't be so rude, Zoma!"

"Demo…"

As Sabel went to follow, he felt a small tug on his sleeve and turned to see Bierrez staring intently at him. "…Yes?"

"You're one of them. With Lord Nadil I mean." Bierrez gave a small grin as he saw Sabel stiffen. "I saw you conversing with Gil. And I can also see that," he added, gesturing to something hidden beneath his jacket.

Sabel leaned close to the yokai. "Don't tell anyone," he muttered. "I haven't even told them. I don't know how they would react…"

"Well they're bound to find out," he answered matter-of-factly.

"I'll tell them then."

"Are you sure that's the best—"

Before Bierrez could finish his question, there was a scream and the two raced out the door and froze in their tracks as they took in the scene before them. In the center of the street, Zoma was lying on the ground face down, a rather large fish hovering over the boy and a strange black bird flying around them. Cesia had been knocked into some of the outdoor tables and was struggling to stand.

"Zoma!" she cried out as she winced in pain.

"Galaba, protect Zoma!" Sabel yelled out as two dark blood blades suddenly emerged from the palms of his hands. He turned to Bierrez who was staring at him. "Stop staring and go to Cesia! I'll take care of the bird!"

"It's not Zoma's is it?" Bierrez asked worriedly.

"No, definitely not," he said in a firm voice. "It's one of _his_…" He glared at Bierrez. "What are you doing?? GO TO CESIA!"

Once Bierrez had taken off to tend to the girl, Sabel turned to look at the large bird hovering in front of him. "…You're not the one…but I'll kill you anyway," he growled and took a step forward.

With a swing of his right blood blade, a spray of dark red blood flew upward, hardening and morphing to solid daggers aimed at the flying bird above. One clipped a wing, sending the bird shrieking in pain as it quickly veered to left and struggled to fly away.

"You're not getting away from me," Sabel said in a cold voice and raised his arms, the blood blades transforming into a bow and arrow. "BLOODY ARROW!" He released the arrow of blood and flew with such speed that everyone gathered believed it would hit the bird, its aim was fast and straight on the target.

But to the onlookers' astonishment, the bird disappeared right before the arrow could hit and the missile immediately dissipated, transforming into water and showered lightly down upon the group. Sabel stared at where the bird had just been seconds before, his face filled with quiet regret. "…It's the same…"

He quickly turned his attention back to Zoma, Galaba already shrinking down to his more portable size. "Zoma!" he cried out as he ran over to the small group of people gathering around him. He glanced over to where Cesia was being attended to and seeing that she would be all right turned his whole attention to the boy.

A girl was holding the boy's head up as Zoma started to cough. "Everyone stand back, give him some room!" she ordered and immediately a soft glow started to emit from her hands.

Sabel managed to push his way through and dropped down to the two on the ground. "Zoma! Zoma, is he going to be all right?" he asked frantically and stopped short as he looked at the girl. "You're an…you're an elf!!"

She gave him a brief smile. "Hai. I'm Tintlet…Sabel-san," she said, her eyes shining as if she knew who he was exactly. After a few more seconds, the soft glow disappeared and she handed the boy over to Sabel. "Quickly, Cesia should be fine now. You must take him to them immediately," she said hurriedly as Sabel struggled to stand with the boy in his arms. As if on cue, Cesia, followed by Bierrez, arrived at the scene, worry etched on her face. But upon seeing Tintlet, she relaxed a bit and looked at Sabel.

He nodded. "Ikko." And with that, they raced down the street toward the large castle looming in the distance, Bierrez fast on their heels. It was evident to the other yokai that what seemed as a simple affair was proving to be a dangerous matter indeed.

"Sabel, why are we heading towards the Dragon Castle?" Cesia asked as she raced next to the yokai carrying Zoma on his back. Upon receiving no answer, she looked at him. "Sabel??"

"You'll see when we get there," was his only reply, and seeing that the girl had given up gave a sigh of relief. He glanced at Bierrez who only exchanged looks. Hearing Zoma's rasped breath despite of Galaba's presence made the yokai pick up his pace.

_We have to hurry!_

Ruwalk peered from behind a tree. "I can only see the Lykouleon's face—"

"_Lord_ Lykouleon…" Alfeegi muttered.

"But I can't see who he's talking to," he continued, casting a glance down at his fellow Officer. _Picky, picky, picky…_

Rune held a finger to his lips. "Sh, I'm trying to hear. Maybe we can recognize the voice…"

The others nodded and they leaned forward a bit, trying to pick up a bit of the conversation. Alfeegi, of course, felt as if he was betraying the Dragon Lord, but he, too, was curious on whom he was speaking with in such an isolated area.

"…and with that one move, you can eliminate all opposition," the other was saying and his hand moved across the table and placed something down. "See?"

"AHH!" Lykouleon yelled out.

At his shout, the four scrambled from their hiding place. "LORD LYKOULEON!" they yelled as they called forth their weapons, only to stare in slight embarrassment and confusion as the two people before them stared at them in complete and utter surprise.

"…Alfeegi…Ruwalk…Thatz and Rune…" Lykouleon said slowly as he looked at each as he said his name. "…Is there something you need?"

The other person just propped his elbows up on the table and interlaced his fingers, forming a hand bridge formation as he stared at the foursome.

They just stared blankly at the scene before them, particularly at what was on the table.

"…Chess…?" Alfeegi said tensely, a rather large vein showing on the side of his head. "You…were playing…CHEEEESSSSSSS???"

"Ah, er, Alfeegi I have reasons!!" Lykouleon quickly said as he held his hands in surrender, an army of sweat beads appearing on his face.

Alfeegi gave a slight nod at the other. "I'm sorry, my Lord, but this is unacceptable. Both of you, instead of attending to what should be official matters, are going different moves on playing CHESS of all things!"

"Well, uh, er, chess _is_ based on generals planning strategies for battles and such…" Ruwalk offered hesitantly.

"I don't recall addressing _you_, Ruwalk," Alfeegi glared murderously at him, making the Dragon Officer immediately jump behind Thatz.

"…Gee, thanks," the Dragon Knight said sarcastically.

The other looked at Alfeegi, his dark red eyes shining from behind the long strands of purple hair that fell in front of his face. "Still have that temper I see," he said calmly with a smile. "Do not worry, if you should get upset at someone, then please yell at me. After all, I _am_ the one who proposed this little game to Lykouleon while we discussed some political matters in a more…quiet environment?" He looked pointedly at Alfeegi who stammered and nodded, mumbling his apologies.

"Wow, I guess Alfeegi can't bring himself to yell at a Lord other than Lykouleon," Ruwalk said to himself softly.

Lykouleon finally took full note of the Dragon Knights' presence. "Thatz? Rune? Why are you not with Rath?"

"Ah…" Thatz stammered and glanced at Rune. "Well…uh…"

"Your son is missing, AGAIN," Rune finally fumed, making everyone look at him in complete shock. They had never heard Rune speak to Lykouleon or speak of Rath in such a tone or manner.

Lykouleon grinned. _About time he broke out of his formal way of addressing these things…_ "Again you say?"

"He went to try and woo Cesia again," Thatz smirked. "Though I wonder if he was able to convince her this time and, well, you know," he laughed nervously.

"THATZ!" both Alfeegi and Rune yelled.

The other Lord glanced at Lykouleon. "Cesia?"

"A childhood friend that Rath has set his mind on marrying," the Dragon Lord sighed. "Though I think he's pushing it too far…"

"I don't recall you having any troubles, Lykouleon," the other smiled, pleased to see the slightly embarrassed look on his face.

Lykouleon coughed and stood up. "Well, I guess we should go back. There might be some trouble or something," he quickly said as he gathered the chess pieces and placed them inside the chessboard itself, folding the board in half shut. "Lets go, shall we? We have to find Rath, right?" Without waiting for a response, he quickly hurried out of the area and headed back to the castle.

Ruwalk chuckled. "He still gets embarrassed about something that happened literally ages ago."

"I think I shall return to my little estate," the other Lord said as he stood up, his dark colored cape almost touching the ground. "Tell Lykouleon my apologies, but I feel something has gone amiss and that my presence will be needed soon."

"N-No need for apologies!!" Alfeegi hastily said. "We are the ones who should give the apologies upon intruding like we did."

The other smiled. "Send a message if Lykouleon wishes to discuss something with me. I shall be staying in Draqueen for a few days, longer if need be. Oh, and good luck finding Rath, though I would think he should be returning home soon." He gave a nod. "Good day."

The foursome watched as the tall man made his way back the way they had come from and disappeared among the groves. "Wow…so that was the Lord of the Yokai…" Thatz murmured as they too made their way back to the castle.

Expecting to go straight down the street directly to the Dragon Castle, Cesia was startled when Sabel veered left down a small narrow road. "Wait, I thought we were heading toward the Dragon Castle!" Still Sabel made no response and all she could do was just follow and pray that he knew where he was going.

"Sabel! It would be faster if we took a right at the next intersection," Bierrez suddenly said as he came alongside the yokai.

With a nod, Sabel jumped to the right, narrowly missing a passerby in the process. They were closer toward the edge of the city and buildings were becoming sparse, but there were still people walking down the streets. He could see a large building ahead and his heart raced. "Hang on Zoma," he murmured to the still unconscious boy on his back. "Just a little longer…" He glanced over at Cesia, who, to his surprise, was keeping pace with him.

Noticing his glance she grinned. "I've had to run long distances in a short amount of time plenty of times."

"Yeah, 'cause you always almost arrive late to work," Bierrez sneered.

She gave him a dirty look before realizing where their destination was. "Sabel," she said suddenly as they approached the large gates, "are these people you were talking about working for—"

"Open the gates!" Sabel shouted with a voice full of authority. Immediately the gates slowly opened and the trio flew into the estate and raced up the steps. With a swift kick, Sabel barged through the large building and with a voice that surprised both Bierrez and Cesia (who were staring in complete awe at the elegant décor within the mansion) yelled out, "Under the order of Sabel, Captain of Lord Nadil's Personal Elite Guard, bring Shydeman and Shyrendora down at once!"

* * *

AND IT'S SABEL WITH ONE A AND GALABA WITH AN L! IF I SEE ANY REVIEW STATING OTHERWISE I WILL SERIOUSLY BLOW A GASKET COS TOKYOPOP JUST RUINED THEIR NAMES OO!! It's written Sabel on the poster for crying out loud...

Dun dun dun ;; I have enough space for an after word xP; Okay, so I have Gil as Captain of the main guard (there are no Generals…just forget that) and Sabel as Captain of Nadil's personal bodyguards (well, I couldn't put Captain of the Dead Soul Guards oO; …Though that's who the bodyguards are actually xD Zombies xD;;;) and Shydeman and Shyrendora have obviously gone down in ranks ) I obviously don't like them so…;;

This was originally split in two but I decided to lose that last dramatic effect and just mush 'em together .

Whee…hm…who has not appeared yet…Nohiro and Garfakcy…I think. Well and the water lights. I don't think Ri-Ma, Duuma, Heaven Star's Princess, and Grinfish will appear in this fic (sorry guys!) unless I think of something. Maybe the latter two at like the last minute or something o.O; But I know those first two will appear at one point, well Gar-chan kinna has to since Kharl is already there xD. Ooooh I have a great idea for Nohiro xDD

Well keep reading and reviewing .; I'm just flying with this fic xD


	6. Healing

Hidden Roses

Chapter 6 – Healing

Okay, NOW I should be getting back to the main plotline oO I need to get Rath back in xD;; It's been mainly Cesia involved up 'til now…But amazingly, EVERYTHING is part of my master evil scheme! DDD

…I think…

* * *

"CAPTAIN OF NADIL'S ELITE PERSONAL GUARD?!?!" Cesia half screeched, making both of the yokai wince and cover his ears.

"Sweet Arinas, don't you EVER stop screaming?!" Sabel exclaimed as yokai servants quickly hurried down to them.

"Lord Sabel, the two have, er, stepped out," one young male stammered, not able to meet his superior's eyes.

"WHAT?!" Sabel yelled as he snapped his head toward the servant. "Where the hell did they go?! I thought they were unable to leave this place until Lord Nadil returned!!"

"Erm, well they said they had business to attend to," the servant stammered. "They said something about leaving for a few days…?"

Sabel gave out a loud curse and would have kicked something if he were not still full of concern for Zoma (or holding him for that matter). "Then what of Lord Nadil? Has he returned from his meeting with Lord Lykouleon?"

"He is here," a voice spoke from behind them.

Everyone whirled around and found to their surprise (and Sabel's complete relief) the Yokai Lord himself standing in the doorway. He quickly stepped forward. "Sabel, what is it?"

"Lord Nadil, forgive me, but this boy—"

"Say no more," Nadil said as he came up to them and looked down at the boy still in Sabel's arms. "Someone prepare a room and a bed!" he ordered to the group of servants milling around nervously. Several quickly took to their heels and dashed up the grand staircase, sensing the urgency of the situation. "Where are Shydeman and Shyrendora?" he asked softly as he placed a hand on Zoma's forehead. _…Warm…too warm…_

"Someone told me they had left," Sabel said irritably. "And when they're needed the most as well."

Nadil glanced at him before reexamining Zoma. "And Gil?"

"I saw him earlier." Sabel straightened and looked around the large foyer. "I thought he would be here by now."

There was the sound of hurried footsteps descending the stairs. "Lord Nadil, the room is ready," one of the servants called.

The Yokai Lord nodded to the others and they quickly hurried up the stairs, a troupe of servants right on their heels. Cesia felt Bierrez gently squeeze her hand and she turned to give him a shaky reassuring smile though he did not see as it as his eyes were trained on Nadil's back.

In a few seconds the doors burst open and everyone piled into the large room, Zoma immediately set down upon the bed. Galaba wearily floated from his place within the boy's hair and with a tired burst of bubbles, snuggled down on a pillow.

"Has he been with him this whole time?" Nadil asked as he took off his cape gloves.

"Yes, earlier when Galaba was with him Zoma had been fine, until one of Kharl's birds appeared," Sabel half growled. "Galaba must have spent his energy protecting the kid," he added in a softer tone as he stroked the silently sleeping fish.

With his now bare hand, he gently touched Zoma's chest. There was a small black spark and soon there was a dark glow surrounding the boy's body. Seeing some life returning to Zoma's face, Cesia realized that it was just like Tintlet's healing power, only instead of elfin it was yokai. After a few more seconds of this treatment, the Yokai Lord let out a breath and slowly removed his hand, the soft black glow immediately disappearing.

"…Zoma…" he glanced at Sabel. "That is his name, correct?" At Sabel's nod, Nadil continued. "Zoma will be all right, at least for the time being. This is all I can do for now, until I know what is exactly going on and the situation."

Cesia gave a sigh of relief and almost collapsed if Bierrez had not caught her. "…Yokata…" she murmured tiredly.

Nadil looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to Zoma. "I see that she is tired from the stress. You can set her down in the chair over there, Bierrez, and let her rest." He looked at the slightly startled yokai. "I have some things to discuss with you as well."

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Bierrez stammered as he gently carried the already sleeping girl to the chair and covered her with the jacket Sabel had tossed to him. With a last backward glance at the two, he turned and followed everyone out, Sabel gently shutting the door.

A pair of crimson red eyes stared up at the Yokai Estate. After a moment, Rath turned on his heel and shook his head. He had thought he had felt Cesia's presence within the building but quickly discarded the ridiculous thought. She had no reason for being in such a place, at least none he could think of. At the thought of the girl, his face turned somber as he slowly made his way back home. The same thought had troubled his mind since his departure from the Realm of Eternal Darkness.

"Why?" he softly asked aloud.

Why did she reject him yet again? He had been unable to find sleep because of this torturous question. Had he done something? Hurt her in any way? Did something to discredit himself? What could it be?

_I'm just not ready for that yet…_

The words tortured his mind and soul. Why, no, how could she not be ready for marriage? She was at the perfect age and if she married him there would be no worries of finding a job. If she did not want children, well that would be all right with him, he could wait for that. But not ready to live with him? To share a life with him? Rath furrowed his brows. Did she not…want to be with him, even after all these years?

"She doesn't love me the same way I love her…" he murmured, recalling the words from the previous day. "If not that, then what?" he cried out in frustration. "Merely a friend or a brother? Or am I just some other person to her??" _What could she mean??_

He had to find her, to have her clarify. But…

_"If you ask her, what if you receive the answer you do not wish to hear? How will you handle _that_, my dear Rath?"_

He had been unable to answer Kharl's question back then, but now as he thought about it, his determination to have Cesia marry him was beyond control. He had to see her again; to hold and caress her; to carry her away from all these trivial worries found in common day life. He wanted to love her.

"But why won't she accept me??" he cried out again as he punched a wall, not noticing the brick crumbling away from the impact. "What am I doing wrong?!"

_Make her…_

Force? He shook his head. It had flickered through his mind before, but no, that would not do. He did not wish to use Kharl's method yet, not now.

No, he would _convince_ her, show her that her denials were foolish and make her want her to marry him through different means. Rath's heart had not taken that dark path just yet.

"RATH YOU IDIOT THERE YOU ARE!"

Rath whirled around in complete surprise to find a fuming Rune and a tired Thatz standing in the street. "Oh…hey guys…"

"…Hoy…" Thatz drawled as he grabbed Rath's shirt collar, a slightly deranged look on the knight's face. "I…haven't…had…any…sleep…or…a decent…meal…and all you say…is… … … HEY GUYS?!?!?!?"

A sweat bead broke out from Rune as he watched Thatz strangle the Dragon Prince, which was quite odd since he was the one who normally just stood in the background while Rune scolded Rath. When it finally hit the Dragon Knight what exactly Thatz was doing to Rath, he grabbed him and started to shake _him_ senseless. "YOU IDIOT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TREAT HIS HIGHNESS LIKE THAT!!"

Rath sighed. "Hey…lets just get back home, all right?"

At his words, the two Dragon Knights immediately stopped and stared in shock as they watched their prince walk down the street toward the castle. They exchanged worried glances and quickly hurried over to Rath.

"Hey…did something happen?" Thatz asked worriedly. "Did someone hurt you in any way? Did some guys try to—OW!" he yelled out as Rune smacked his blade against his head.

"THATZ!" Rune sighed as he tried to cool his temper and return his attention back to the rather dismal looking prince. "Did it have to do with…Cesia?" he asked tenderly. When Rath flinched and averted his eyes, Rune nodded. "All right, I won't pressure you any further. But you know that we're your friends and are willing to help you in any way."

"Yeah," Thatz said cheerfully as he pushed himself between them and slung an arm around each of their necks, "we may act as your personal bodyguards, but we've been together since we were younger!"

"Since we were…" A thought struck Rath's mind and his eyes hardened. "…That's it…that's why…"

Thatz slowly removed his arm and looked at him. "Um…what's why?"

Immediately the expression disappeared from Rath's face as he gave the Dragon Knights a smile. "Nothing, nothing at all. You just helped me reach an answer. May not be _the_ answer, but an answer nonetheless."

"Um…sure thing, Rath," Thatz said in slight confusion.

The trio continued in calm silence back to the castle, though unknown to the two Dragon Knights, their prince was anything but calm.

"…ia…Cesia nee-san!"

With a jolt, Cesia awoke to find Zoma sitting up and staring at her. Galaba was still sound asleep curled up on the pillow. She quickly went over to Zoma's bedside. "Are you all right? How do you feel? Do you feel any pain?" she barraged him as she felt about his head and neck.

A small sweat bead popped out. "I'm fine!" he assured her. He looked around the room. "…Where am I? What happened? All I remember was this bird and Galaba getting all big," he frowned.

"Um…you're in Lord Nadil's, er, mansion," she said. "The specialists had left to do something and he treated you personally so you better thank him whenever he comes back."

"Who's he?" the boy asked bluntly. Evidently he had not been paying attention.

"The Lord of the Yokai, silly," Cesia laughed. She paused and looked up, a thoughtful look on her face. "Hm…I have a feeling I've seen him somewhere…and not just in pictures…"

There was a knock on the door and it opened a little.

"May I come in?" Nadil softly asked as he slowly entered the room. "I just wanted to check on the patient."

"Are _you_ the Yokai Lord?" Zoma asked wide-eyed as he stared at the simple yet elegant garb Nadil had changed into.

"Unfortunately, yes," Nadil muttered as he sat down next to Zoma and felt his head. "You seem to be doing better. And it looks like your horn is starting to grow more."

"Horn??" Cesia repeated in shock as she quickly parted the boy's hair, startling both Nadil and Zoma. There was indeed a small bump growing on top of Zoma's head. "Since when did you have a horn?!"

Zoma blinked. "You didn't know? I've had _that_ for a while."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

The boy just shrugged. "I didn't feel anything bad or unusual about it…it just felt…iunno natural."

"The horn would have served as his other power source, replacing the need of his bird," Nadil explained. "But because of the premature disappearance, its growth had been stunted. In order for it to become a full-grown horn and to have the necessary power, the bird was still necessary." He looked at her. "I just gave it a little help. But I was afraid of using too much. Excessive amounts of power could damage the horn permanently." Nadil sighed and leaned back. "If Shydeman were here, he could do it more properly…"

"But you've done quite enough already, er, my Lord," Cesia managed to say. She was still deep in her thoughts to recollect where she had seen Nadil before.

"Please, do not use such formalities." He paused as she studied her face with an expressionless and cool face. "You seem deep in thought. Is there something else that is troubling you? And who are you?"

Startled by the questions, including the touch of rudeness in the last question, Cesia had to actually stop and think before answering them. She straightened and kept her voice firm. "My name is Cesia, one of the three girls who look after Zoma. We live together under the same roof and live as a family. As to your first question, there are _several_ things that are on my mind, but I don't think I could nor should impose my troubles upon _you_, my Lord." She looked directly at him. "Which, if you don't mind, I would rather keep to myself."

Zoma looked from Nadil's slight look of surprise (which was changing either to annoyance or amusement, he was not sure) to Cesia's look of slight indignation. He could just not believe his little pointed ears. Cesia had talked to the Lord of the Yokai as if he was a schoolboy being told. The Lord of the Yokai! THE Lord of the Yokai!! Zoma slumped back stupefied. _Women…I'll _never_ understand them…_

Before Nadil could give a reply or some sort of retort, there was another knock on the door and Sabel poked his head in. "Hey you two, it's late and Zoma needs to rest." He snapped his head at Nadil. "And you, Lord Nadil, should be getting ready for the night, it's almost midnight!"

"MIDNIGHT?!?" Cesia yelled, making all three of them cover their ears.

"She does this often," Zoma said solemnly at Nadil, who just arched his eyebrows.

"I'M SO DEAD! DELTE IS GOING TO KILL ME!!" she continued to yell as she jumped up and looked about frantically. She stopped her antics and pointed an accusing finger at Sabel. "YOU better have an explanation that I can give to Delte!"

"Just tell her the truth," Sabel retorted. "What's the problem with that?"

"What's the problem?" Cesia said in a dead calm voice, making the threesome wince. They knew it was going to be bad. "What's the problem? I'll tell you the problem, Sabel-_kun_."

"He's dead," Zoma commented.

"I am thinking so," Nadil agreed nodding.

Sabel gave a cry of terror as Cesia suddenly yanked him into the room and held him up to her face. "You wanna know what the problem is, _buddy_? THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF I TELL DELTE THAT SOME GIANT BIRD ALMOST** KILLED** ZOMA ON THE WAY OVER AND THAT WE HAD TO DISTURB **LORD NADIL'S** OBVIOUSLY BUSY LIFE BECAUSE THOSE TWO SPECIALISTS OF YOURS **DECIDED TO SKIP OUT ON THEIR JOB AND TAKE A LITTLE TRIP** SHE'LL TAKE THE HEAT OUT ON ME AND GET UNRULY MAD, WHICH IS **NOT** SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DO TO AN ELF BECAUSE THEY GET SCARY! OH THEY GET SCARY! YOU THINK I'M SCARY NOW?! WELL JUST WAIT TIL YOU GET AN **ELF** MAD AND YOU'LL THINK **I** WAS JUST THE SWEETEST LITTLE LAMB!!"

Sabel just stared up at her in complete and utter horror, his face blanched, eyes wide, and mouth open in terror. In fact, Zoma thought he might pass out. If he had not already, that is.

Just a few seconds after Cesia's rather loud rant, Bierrez stormed over to the room. "Sweet mother of…What the hell is going on here?!" he yelled as he walked through the door. "The whole entire MANSION could hear her screaming!" When he finally noticed the enraged look on Cesia's face and Sabel dangling almost half-dead in her hands, however, he immediately regretted saying a single word. "…Shit…"

Nadil leaned over to Zoma as Cesia just stood there twitching while Bierrez tried to calm her down and release Sabel from his death grip. "Is she always like this?" he asked softly.

"Actually no, she's usually calmer," Zoma frowned. "She's just been a lot of stress lately…" he sighed. "I think it's all Rath's fault," he said heatedly, instantly catching Nadil's complete attention. "Never leaving her alone and asking that stupid question over and over again. I wish he'd just take the hint and leave her alone!" Tears started to well up in his eyes and Nadil blinked in surprise. "Because…because…if Cesia nee-chan ever got married…I'd be…I'd be…"

Hearing the silent sobs, Cesia looked over and released her hold of Sabel, the yokai collapsing to the ground like a rock before struggling to stand back up as everyone looked over at the small boy trying desperately hard not let his emotions out but miserably failing. Shaking her head, Cesia leaned over on the bed and wrapped her arms around Zoma, her attitude taking a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn. "There, there…I won't leave you," she said softly. "Even if I did get married, I'd never leave you." She gave him a tight hug. "You're my dear, little Zoma, and I would never want to hurt you." These words proved too much for the already heart torn child as he buried his face in her stomach and cried long and hard, clutching to her dress tightly.

"Cesia…I had already taken care of Delte," Bierrez said softly after a moment. "I was actually on my over to tell you that when I heard you yelling." He looked at her. "Until Shydeman or Shyrendora return, we want to keep Zoma here where he can receive proper help and treatment," he added, glancing at Nadil.

"And you can come and visit him whenever you wish," Nadil added before Cesia could say anything. "It is of no burden, so do not worry."

Sabel coughed. "Since it's so late, I advise that you spend the night here. We have already told Delte that this might happen and she gave her consent." _Not the _quietest_ one but one nonetheless,_ he added silently.

"Who went to tell her?" she asked slightly puzzled. "It's good deal away from here…"

Sabel just grinned. "One of my subordinates. He has a very good…soul, anyway."

"Cryptic, very cryptic," Bierrez said dryly.

Cesia only just looked at them confused. "…I still don't understand…"

"You'll find out sooner or later," Bierrez muttered. "Anyway, I have to manage the café tomorrow, so I should go. And don't worry about work, you can take the day off," he added as he saw her look up. "You need it." He turned to leave but stopped for a moment. "One more thing…I think you should avoid Rath for a little while, until things cool down." He glanced over his shoulder. "All right?" Without waiting for her to answer, he left the room.

Sabel stepped over to the Yokai Lord still sitting on Zoma's bedside, staring at the boy being held by the now quieted girl. "…My Lord?"

Nadil blinked as if snapping out of a reverie. "Ah…yes." He stood up and gave a bow. "If you need anything, please just notify any of my servants, Sabel, or myself. And please make yourself at home," he added with a small smile and quickly left.

Sabel looked after his Lord confused for a moment before turning and looked at Cesia awkwardly. "Er, have a good night, Cesia. And if any of those guys try to make a move on you, just give them a good yell," he grinned and rubbed his neck. "I think that would scare them pretty good."

"Right," she said as she rolled her eyes. She watched as he gave a laugh before gently closing the door after him. _If Rath ever finds out that I'm here surrounded by all these incredibly handsome and cute guy he would flip…_ She looked down when she felt Zoma stir.

"Cesia…I'm okay now…" he mumbled. "…Sorry…"

She gave him a hug before releasing him. "Don't worry," she said gently as she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I didn't realize that Rath's proposals were causing you so much pain. You should have told me."

"I didn't want to be a burden though," he mumbled. He sighed. "But it looks like in the end I did…"

Cesia gently pushed him back down into his bed and tucked the sheets under him. "You are _not_ a burden, not at all," she reassured him as she stretched herself out on the king size bed and placed her head on the other pillow. "So go to sleep, you need your rest."

"Mhm…" he mumbled sleepily as he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Smiling at him, she watched him sleep for a while before rolling onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling and placed a hand over her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. Weariness was starting to overcome her again and for once she welcomed it. Somehow, being in Nadil's presence made her feel secure, as if being inside this mansion would help her stay away from Rath and his proposals. Yet she somehow felt a heavy load of guilt being pressed upon her as she recalled Rath's sad and pleading eyes from the other day. They looked so…desperate almost.

A familiar question creeped into her thoughts as she felt her mind drift to sleep. Why did she really not want to marry him?

* * *

Oh. My. God. Nadil is going SOOOOOO OOC!! OMG OMG OMG OMG IT'S SCARING ME I SWEAR!! And it will get worse, it WILL get worse o.O!

I'm sensing doom here. I'm afraid of how I might end up changing him T.T Man, I'm going to get hate reviews on this one .o;

Well Rath is as angsty as ever xD;; Least I did that xDDD;;;; And Thatz…lol I think I got him in character I'm not sure. Rune, of course. Sabel? I don't know, I'm thinking not in a lot of places. Though he's starting to act like Alfeegi… Cesia? …She yells a lot more than Rune and Alfeegi o.O Bierrez? Eh…I have no idea. Gil? I'm not sure either o.O

Sabel will be switching on and off .; Sorry Sabel fans but that's how it's gonna be o.o

Tell me who you think are either IC or OOC o.O Well except Nadil, that's rather obvious…

And yes, I'm using Zoma in the way Bierrez thought about with Cesia and Sabel in the previous chapter xDD

Oh, and how do y'all pronounce Nadil's name? O.o NAH-dle? Nah-DIL? NEIGH-dle? Neigh-DIL? Nah-DEAL?? O-o obviously capped = stressed. Iunno, how do you? O-o;;; Or maybe some of y'all just call him Bob 


	7. In the Night

Hidden Roses

Chapter 7 – In the Night

::dodges the multitudes of objects, both blunt and sharp but undoubtedly mostly sharp, from readers that may have actually liked this story and had actually waited the 3 years it took for this thing to actually be updated::

Since it's been 3 years since I last updated this fic, I'm going to save my whole author note thing until after the fic. :O So…READ ON!

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"Lord Nadil, I have been observing you for a while a now and I must say you really have been acting rather…odd lately," Sabel stated as he watched his Lord put on his nightshirt. Somehow, he felt watching Nadil dressing was a bit odd, but he had to address him. "And now that I have been observing a bit longer, I must also add that your shirt is inside out."

Nadil blinked and looked down at his shirt before realizing what Sabel had said was true. He took off the shirt and sighed before sitting down onto his bed. "I have no idea what is wrong with me to be honest," he said as he stared down at the shirt in his hands. "I have never felt so…confused in my life."

Sabel walked over to him. "So you're new at this, that's why Lord Lykouleon has agreed to assist you."

"I have been on the throne for how long? Less than a year? No one here even knows that I am the new Lord except for the few youkai who actually keep up with any new events that leak through. The people know that _a_ youkai lord is here, they just don't know it's me."

"You're using contractions again…" Sabel just grinned at Nadil's look. Even though Nadil was a few years older than him, Sabel always found himself having to look out for him. "We came here to ask for their permission to cross the border and handle the water yokai problem and we got it, which is of no surprise," Sabel added as he picked up something from Nadil's dresser. "You're doing fine, my Lord—"

"Nadil."

"Nadil," he said airily as he replaced the object and turned around to look at Nadil, the Yokai Lord's head still down. "Are you ever going to get out of this slump? Your father entrusted you to handle everything and everything is _fine_. Everything you have done couldn't have been done better." He smiled. "Besides, you have us. We have been by your side since the beginning, back when you were training."

Nadil just continued to stare at his shirt as his thoughts drifted. "But now we have Zoma and Kharl with his doings to worry about. He is probably the cause of this mess."

There was a knock on the door and Nadil quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves of his shirt, making sure it was not inside out this time. "Come in, Gil."

The feline like yokai opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the two in the room and Nadil's rather tussled up look. "…I hope I'm not interrupting something…"

Sabel gave a quick laugh before smacking Gil on the head. "Of course not! Only those crazy girls out there would think of _that_!!" he snapped.

Nadil just looked at them with arched eyebrows. "Right…what is it that you need Gil?"

The yokai coughed before giving Sabel a sidelong glance and presented his report. "I have finally returned—"

"Yeah, no kidding," Sabel interrupted. "Where were you anyway?!"

"You will find out if you would let me finish my senten—"

"Get on with it already!"

Gil slapped a hand to his face, twitching slightly before giving a low growl. "Will you just shut up and let me speak?"

Sabel gave a huff and crossed his arms. "Well I never…speaking to _me_ like that, and with _that_ sort of tone!" But he gave Gil a small grin.

The Captain of the Guard gave a sigh and a shake of his head. _I will _never _understand him._ "I have returned from the Realm of Eternal Darkness." He paused. "A rather…misleading name as there were streetlamps, though dim, and candles…" Seeing their looks he coughed. "Right, anyway, last night I saw something rather interesting. A certain someone came out of Kharl's place."

"Were Shyrendora or Shydeman there?" Sabel asked.

Gil just looked at him. "No, I did not see them there. But the person I saw leaving was—"

"Rath."

Sabel and Gil blinked as they looked at Nadil, who had gotten up and was staring out an open window. "…How did you know?" Gil asked.

Nadil gave a small shrug. "I had a feeling."

Sabel leaned over to Gil. "It's another one of his…feeling things," he said softly.

A sweat bead broke out from Gil as he just glanced at the yokai. "You are strange, you know that?"

"Better than being Mr. Serious," Sabel answered.

"At least I don't lose my head over everything."

"I do **not** lose my head over everything!"

"Oh, oh, you're starting to lose it now."

"You know, that sentence sounds so strange when you say it in a dead calm voice."

Gil just shrugged and returned his attention to Nadil, who seemingly was oblivious to what was going on behind him. "At any rate, this will cause problems, Nadil. What if the Dragons are—"

"Lykouleon would not do something that would endanger his tribe or the people living in Draqueen," Nadil said suddenly. "Whatever Rath was doing it was of his own doing, not Lykouleon's. The Dragon Lord might not even know of this."

"Then we should tell him," Sabel said suddenly. "He has to know, this is of a serious matter. Everyone knows that Kharl is wanted by every tribe for all of his actions, something that has been going on for years!"

"We have no proof," Gil pointed out to Sabel. "Even if Nadil himself told the Dragon Lord, Lord Lykouleon would not believe us. Rath is _his_ son and because of that parental bond he will not believe it. Even if we showed concrete evidence he would still deny it. It's inevitable."

"Then what are we going to do?" Sabel asked impatiently. "Just stand around and do nothing?"

They turned to their Lord and waited him for an answer. There were a few seconds of silence before, without turning, Nadil said, "We will just have to keep an eye on him. Rath is the Prince of the Dragon tribe and he knows his duty. He has loved ones here and he can keep his head. Or should at least. As Gil said we cannot do anything rash or make accusations. Until we know why Rath went to see Kharl we cannot say a word. We have been at peace for only a short time now compared to the eons of war we have been through. We cannot do anything that could jeopardize this frail treaty that is only concrete through words. There are still grudges between all four of the tribes and something that deals with the royal houses could set off another bloody war. The recent uprisings from the lower yokai are bad enough."

Sabel stared at Nadil. That was the longest passage of dialogue he had ever heard his Lord speak, except in speeches. Gil, too, was surprised and somewhat proud. It was apparent that, though slowly, Nadil was starting to become more comfortable in his position and the leadership and political skills he had inherited from his late father were coming through. The two looked at each other nodded.

"Excellent idea, Lord Nadil—"

"Nadil," the Yokai Lord once again said.

"Yes, Nadil," Sabel grinned. "Well it's _way_ past your bedtime," he suddenly said in a cheerful tone. "And you can't appear at the head of the table at breakfast with sleep in your eyes. What will the guests think?"

At this Nadil whirled around and looked at them startled. "Guests?"

Gil just arched an eyebrow. "I think I heard that a young lady and a little boy were staying with us for the night?" Sabel nodded.

"Oh…yes those two. Well then if that is all I shall retire for the night."

The two captains glanced at each other before wishing their Lord a pleasant night of rest and exiting the room. They stood behind the door and hesitated a few moments before walking off to their own quarters.

When they were a fair distance away, Sabel let out a sigh. "Is it just me, or are Cesia's and Zoma's presence here troubling Nadil?"

Gil held a bent finger to his lips as he thought over Sabel's statement. "I am not fully sure…though whenever we mention either he seems to stiffen."

Sabel just looked at him. "…Right. He's acting oddly."

"In layman's terms," Gil muttered.

They walked in silence for a few more steps before a thought struck through Sabel's mind. "You don't suppose…he has…"

"No," Gil said flatly. "He's only just met the girl for Kainaldia's sake."

Sabel blinked. "Um…that wasn't what I was going to say, but that's an idea, too."

Gil smacked himself and his big mouth. Now Sabel would undoubtedly drop hints to either of them and try to set them up. _Wait a minute, why am I thinking this to begin with?_ He glanced at Sabel. _It's finally happening. I'm turning into _him

Sabel stared at Gil. "You know…you're making weird faces. You're trying to go for the circus aren't you? If you are, think you could give me backstage passes? Well two, one for me and one for Galaba—"

"Shut. Up."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Though he had said he would sleep, Nadil was far from sinking into his king sized bed waiting for him; everything still made and practically untouched. He had instead walked into another part of his room and out into the balcony, feeling the slight breeze blow through his still unbuttoned shirt, slowly walking out and leaning forward against the railing, his arms crossed upon it as he stared out into the back courtyard. Below him he could see the vast gardens, the moonlight flowers now in full bloom as it was a full moon and with little clouds the flowers could take in all the moonlight they desired, their petals creating a soft glow along the pockets of green and variety of other softened colors of the other flowers. Soft path lights made from the glow of night dew specially made from Kainaldia illuminated the pebbled stoned walkways even though there was no one out walking. Still, it created a wonderful peaceful setting, a setting Nadil needed and with that thought in mind he went back into his room. After listening through the door he left his room and quietly walked down the hallways as he made his way down to the gardens.

The soft moonlight washed over him as he could feel his nerves lessening, the soft breeze filled with the moonlight flowers scent gently brushing against his face. Closing his eyes for only a moment he noiselessly walked along the stoned path, quietly taking in the gentle environment. As continued to walk through the gardens, his mind drifted and he felt a soft throbbing on his lower arm. He stopped and gently rolled up his left sleeve, his eyes only looking at the long black gash. After a few more moments it disappeared and only a faint soft trace of the scar could be seen. Closing his eyes he unrolled his sleeve and continued his walk.

The young demon lord continued his aimless journey until he found himself in a far corner of the estate. In front of him was a wide clearing with dummies set up as well as other various traps and training tools. It was here where he as well as his officers practiced every now and then to hone their skills. With the moonlight still shining brilliantly above, he moved his right arm a little away from him as black wind started to swirl around his arm. As the wind flew faster a sword suddenly materialized into his hand and without a sound Nadil was suddenly in the center of the clearing, his blade flying as the attacking dummies flew at him mercilessly. He deflected all their attacks, and with a single swing finished off the remaining dummies. His hair moved with the wind as he slowly straightened, his breath calm and steady.

Standing there in the center of the clearing, Nadil let his eyes fall close, feeling his sword pulsating in his hand, feeling it wanting to fight more, to once again feel the objects fall beneath its blade. But Nadil's mind was too far away to hear its silent cries. He could feel the wind gently pick up a bit, feeling it blow through the strands of his hair, feeling and hearing the soft rippling of his clothes, a deep sense of calm slowly spreading throughout him as he let out a soft breath, his sword dematerializing into the black winds that once again appeared around his arm. After another silent moment he reopened his eyes and looked down at his left arm before slowly walking back out of the clearing and back to his room.

After slipping silently back into the estate and changed his clothing and lying down on the bed, Nadil's thoughts once again drifted. The thrill of mock battle had distracted his mind only to a small extent, and even then he could only think of one thing, or rather one person.

Cesia.

He could not understand it and it annoyed him to no end. He had only met her twice and she's all he could think about. He tried to figure out Zoma's situation and ended up thinking about Cesia. He tried to plan ahead his duties for the following day and once again he was reminded of Zoma, which in turn brought him back to Cesia. Even just wondering what would be for breakfast reminded him of Cesia! Even the wind reminded him of her. No matter what he did it was Cesia, Cesia, Cesia.

For a moment, Nadil wondered if he was going crazy. Not only was he thinking about her but he also kept having this vague feeling that he had seen her somewhere before, somewhere outside of Draqueen. But that was highly unlikely. From what Sabel had told him earlier that evening she had been raised with the Dragon Prince and Bierrez as well.

He raised his left arm and held it above his face, the thin pale red lines of his scars seeming to throb and pulsate with every passing second. It was not the first time they had bothered him, nor would it be the last and he knew it. He could still hear the rain of that night, the shouts and screams, the smell of blood and death. As much as he had tried to erase the event from his memory he knew he could never forget those beautiful pale violet eyes looking at him with love and protection even after the soul had disappeared, nor the sound of his father cry in rage at the limp body impaled by the dead attacker's spear, his own hands streaming with blood not of his own.

Forcefully he willed the memory away and sighed, his head starting to ache as a torrent of thoughts surged through his brain. Now was not the time to dwell on a past that could not be undone. The list of things needed to be done and resolved seemed to go on for eternity: quell rebellions; continuation of the peace treaty; this issue with Zoma and Kharl; his own past that continually creeps back into his mind; and of course Cesia. And those were only the major problems; there were still many internal issues within his torn realm. With a sigh Nadil rolled over to his side, his longs bangs brushing against his smooth pale face as he closed his eyes, and wondered if his late father ever had such feelings of distress or apathy in his youth.

As he felt sweet sleep come to him he could hear his father's words as if the elder youkai was sitting right next to him: _Though you must trek through the poisonous sands of the desert of toil, every step brings you closer to your destination. Be well prepared and keep focus and your journey will be over sooner than you realize. Once it is finished, it is finished. It is the beginning that is most toilsome._

"First step…huh…" he muttered sluggishly under his breath as he let the hands of dreams take him away.

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--;; OMFG this is a pain in the butt to edit now...stupid changes...my paragraphs won't even indent. Oh well. If anyone knows how to do it with this new system, information would be very nice.

Yes, the last time this fic was updated was back on June 16, 2004. Crazy huh? You would think that I would have just forgotten this altogether and not bother with updating.

But no, that doesn't happen because…even though I never wrote much I ALWAYS kept thinking about my fics. Always. And so I decided that it was high time that I wrote something.

Oh, and if you're new and have no idea who I am, that's okay, I was like one of the first people to ever write a DK fic. My most popular ones have been taken down because they were in script format (_Dragon Knights and the Dragon Eyes_, a Monty Python and the Holy Grail parody, and _Dragon Knights Fairy Tales_). And if you're NOT new and actually remember me…well good to see you again :D

_(deletes original rant that was in here)_ – I'll save it for another time.

Anyway, if you somehow missed all of my other warning or just started on this chapter (which would be weird…) there is a butt load of OOC-ness going on. Obviously Nadil. He's not all evil and not bent on taking the world. And it's going to stay that way. I think Rath and Nadil did a brain switch, and it'll be more apparent later if I ever get to it. Everyone else is relatively on the mark otherwise…right now. Might change, might not, depends on what I do.

I was also working on Demon of the Opera but I kind of got into another slump…especially noticing that it was starting to sound very similar to this one. So I decided to work and try to at least make more or less some progress on this fic before tackling Demon of the Opera again. I don't want to use the same or similar scenes cos that would just be tacky.

Reviews are nice; this chapter I sorta had lying around for a while and I almost scrapped it before I figure something I could do with it. Truthfully I just added like three paragraphs and it was done, eh-heh. Go fig.

Hopefully the next chapter and future chapters will come quickly. Like I said, it's been a while and I'm trying to remember what all I had planned for this. I remember most of it but…meh. I might also try to update some other fics, but I think this will be my priority.

Until I start a new story. Which is something I usually do. ::cough::

Anywho, thanks for reading (if you still are) and I look forward to seeing you again hopefully soon…as in sometime within the next week or so. ::bows:


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